GILLINGHAM Football Club is set for a jobs and cash boost after switching its Priestfield banqueting and conference operation to an outside company.

Club chairman Paul Scally said 10 new jobs would be created over the next few months following a five-year deal with Compass Leisure.

Fifteen full-time staff will transfer to the new operator on October 12. Mr Scally said there would be no redundancies and new jobs would be created.

"We intend to increase them to about 25 full-time over the course of the next year," he said. The jobs of 100 part-timers were also safe.

The deal will earn the Gills a guaranteed £2 million over the next five years, plus a percentage of turnover.

Banqueting and conferences have become an important money-spinner for the club, especially welcome after relegation to League One is set to cost the Gills £1.5 million.

Under the deal, Compass – part of a worldwide group with £11 billion turnover and 400,000 employees – will promote Priestfield nationally as a great venue.

"We have agreed and signed contracts with Compass," Mr Scally said. "The operation was becoming almost too much for us, it was growing that quickly.

"We decided to go with Compass because of their national sales operation. They are very good at what they do and we’re very pleased with that. It guarantees income and takes away a lot of the risk."

The move would take Gills’ banqueting and conferencing services to a new level.

"I think we will probably double our income streams over the next five years and could probably double our profit," Mr Scally added.